(LEVEL ONE)

Some authorities say that Ubiquinone, also called Coenzyme Q, is a vitamin (See ref.) Ubiquinone is manufactured by the body, so other authorities dispute this. However most humans need about 500mg/day, but manufacture less as they age. Ubiquinone's primary action is as an antioxidant many times more powerful than Vitamin E, and one of its most important roles is to prevent oxidative damage to mitochondria, the cellular organelles that power human metabolism. Many authorities say that Ubiquinone supplementation has value to treat or prevent some symptoms and diseases of aging. As one of the antioxidants preventing cancer, Co-Enzyme Q10 benefits are also associated with antiaging.
Here is what the National Cancer Institute says about CoQ10.

“…This complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) information summary provides an overview of the use of coenzyme Q10 in cancer therapy. The summary includes a history of coenzyme Q10 research, a review of laboratory studies, and data from investigations involving human subjects. Although several naturally occurring forms of coenzyme Q have been identified, Q10 is the predominant form found in humans and most mammals, and it is the form most studied for therapeutic potential. Thus, it will be the only form of coenzyme Q discussed in this summary.
This summary contains the following key information:

• Coenzyme Q10 is made naturally by the human body.
• Coenzyme Q10 helps cells to produce energy, and it acts as an antioxidant.
• Coenzyme Q10 has shown an ability to stimulate the immune system and to protect the heart from damage caused by certain chemotherapy drugs.
• Low blood levels of coenzyme Q10 have been detected in patients with some types of cancer.
• No report of a randomized clinical trial of coenzyme Q10 as a treatment for cancer has been published in a peer-reviewed, scientific journal.
• Coenzyme Q10 is marketed in the United States as a dietary supplement.
• No serious toxicity associated with the use of coenzyme Q10 has been reported.
  

A large amount of laboratory and animal data on coenzyme Q10 has accumulated since 1962. Research into cellular energy-producing mechanisms that involve this compound was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1978. Some of the accumulated data show that coenzyme Q10 stimulates animal immune systems, leading to higher antibody levels, greater numbers and/or activities of macrophages and T cells (T lymphocytes), and increased resistance to infection. Coenzyme Q10 has also been reported to increase IgG (immunoglobulin G) antibody levels and to increase the CD4 to CD8 T-cell ratio in humans. CD4 and CD8 are proteins found on the surface of T cells, with CD4 and CD8 identifying “helper” T cells and "cytotoxic" T cells, respectively; decreased CD4 to CD8 T-cell ratios have been reported for cancer patients. Research subsequently delineated the antioxidant properties of coenzyme Q10.

Proposed mechanisms of action for coenzyme Q10 that are relevant to cancer include its essential function in cellular energy production and its stimulation of the immune system (which may both be related), as well as its role as an antioxidant. Coenzyme Q10 is essential to aerobic energy production, and it has been suggested that increased cellular energy leads to increased antibody synthesis in B cells (B lymphocytes). As noted previously (General Information section), coenzyme Q10 can also behave as an antioxidant. In this capacity, coenzyme Q10 is thought to stabilize cell membranes (lipid-containing structures essential to maintaining cell integrity) and to prevent free radical damage to other important cellular components. Free radical damage to DNA (and possibly to other cellular molecules) may be a factor in cancer development.

Coenzyme Q10 is used by cells of the body in a process known variously as aerobic respiration, aerobic metabolism, oxidative metabolism, or cell respiration. Through this process, energy for cell growth and maintenance is created inside cells in compartments called mitochondria.

Reviewed in [1-4] Coenzyme Q10 is also used by the body as an endogenous antioxidant. Reviewed in [1,2,4-8] An antioxidant is a substance that protects cells from free radicals, which are highly reactive chemicals, often containing oxygen atoms, capable of damaging important cellular components such as DNA and lipids. In addition, the plasma level of coenzyme Q10 has been used, in studies, as a measure of oxidative stress (a situation in which normal antioxidant levels are reduced).[9,10]
Coenzyme Q10 is present in most tissues, but the highest concentrations are found in the heart, the liver, the kidneys, and the pancreas.[11] The lowest concentration is found in the lungs.[11] Tissue levels of this compound decrease as people age, due to increased requirements, decreased production,[11] or insufficient intake of the chemical precursors needed for synthesis. Reviewed in [12] In humans, normal blood levels of coenzyme Q10 have been defined variably, with reported normal values ranging from 0.30 to 3.84 µg/mL.[13,14] Reviewed in [2,4]

Given the importance of coenzyme Q10 to optimal cellular energy production, use of this compound as a treatment for diseases other than cancer has been explored. Most of these investigations have focused on coenzyme Q10 as a treatment for cardiovascular disease.[15] Reviewed in [2,4] In patients with cancer, coenzyme Q10 has been shown to protect the heart from anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity (anthracyclines are a family of chemotherapy drugs, including doxorubicin, that have the potential to damage the heart)[3,16-18] and to stimulate the immune system.[19] Reviewed in [20] Stimulation of the immune system by this compound has also been observed in animal studies and in humans without cancer.[21-27] In part because of its immunostimulatory potential, coenzyme Q10 has been used as an adjuvant therapy in patients with various types of cancer.[17,28-30] Reviewed in [20,31-33]

While coenzyme Q10 may show indirect anticancer activity through its effect(s) on the immune system, there is evidence to suggest that analogs of this compound can suppress cancer growth directly. Analogs of coenzyme Q10 have been shown to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells in vitro and the growth of cancer cells transplanted into rats and mice.[12,34] In view of these findings, it has been proposed that analogs of coenzyme Q10 may function as antimetabolites to disrupt normal biochemical reactions that are required for cell growth and/or survival and, thus, that they may be useful for short periods of time as chemotherapeutic agents.[12,34]

Several companies distribute coenzyme Q10 as a dietary supplement. In the United States, dietary supplements are regulated as foods, not drugs. Therefore, premarket evaluation and approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are not required unless specific disease prevention or treatment claims are made. “

References
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20. Complementary treatments highlighted at recent meeting. Oncology (Huntingt) 13 (2): 166, 1999. [PUBMED Abstract]
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27. Barbieri B, Lund B, Lundström B, et al.: Coenzyme Q10 administration increases antibody titer in hepatitis B vaccinated volunteers--a single blind placebo-controlled and randomized clinical study. Biofactors 9 (2-4): 351-7, 1999. [PUBMED Abstract]
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34. Folkers K, Porter TH, Bertino JR, et al.: Inhibition of two human tumor cell lines by antimetabolites of coenzyme Q10. Res Commun Chem Pathol Pharmacol 19 (3): 485-90, 1978. [PUBMED Abstract]